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Tensions in Donbas have escalated with accusations between Kiev and Moscow of mobilizing troops and preparing for a possible offensive, which raises concern between the United States and NATO, the EFE news agency said on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has accused Moscow of “showing its muscles” on the border with the self-proclaimed people’s republics of Donetsk and Luhansk and is increasing troops in the area under the cover of military exercises.
In recent days, Kiev has begun intensive diplomatic work with its international partners, especially the United States and NATO, to warn of the escalating situation in the east of the country.
Zelensky backed US President Joe Biden on Friday, who reaffirmed “his unwavering support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity in the face of continued Russian aggression in Donbas and Crimea.”
Kiev accuses Moscow of killing four Ukrainian soldiers in late March by separatist rebels in a violation of the ceasefire in 2015, raising the death toll in Ukraine to 20 since the beginning of the year, plus 57 of those injured.
According to UN data, the conflict in Donbas has caused some 14,000 deaths since its outbreak in 2014. Since then, Donbas has been the scene of an armed conflict since 2014 between Ukrainian government forces and Russian-backed separatist rebels.
Ukraine’s military intelligence has sounded the alarm, saying that Russia has begun preparations to force the Ukrainian army to respond to “hostile actions” on the demarcation line in Donbas.
This would serve as an excuse for Russia to increase its military presence in the separatist territories of eastern Ukraine by introducing “regular units” with the supposed aim of “protecting Russian citizens”, given that tens of thousands of Ukrainians in Donbas already have received Russian passports.
“An attempt by the Russian occupation forces to penetrate deeper into Ukrainian territory cannot be ruled out,” Kiev said.
This scenario was already used in 2008 in South Ossetia, when Georgian troops entered the territory of the separatist region after challenges, falling into the trap of Moscow, according to independent Russian experts, which triggered the military intervention of Russia, under the pretext of “impose peace”. , which led to the recognition of the independence of South Ossetia and the other Georgian breakaway region of Abkhazia by the Russian Federation.
“Along the Ukrainian border, in the temporarily occupied areas and in Crimea, 28 Russian tactical groups were deployed at the battalion level,” the chief of staff of the Ukrainian army, General Ruslan Homaceak, told parliament on Tuesday.
In view of this, “a decision has been taken to strengthen the joint force grouping on the territory of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions (on the border with Russia) and in the Crimea sector,” he added.
The Kremlin responded that Russia is moving or mobilizing its troops on its territory “as it sees fit.” “This shouldn’t bother anyone and is not a threat to anyone,” said Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for the Russian presidency.
According to EFE sources within the Brussels-based Alliance, NATO is concerned about “the recent large-scale military activities by Russia in and around Ukraine,” an issue that was debated at the North Atlantic Council meeting held place on Thursday, writes Agerpres.
The Ukrainian presidency has denounced some 600 armistice violations since the beginning of the year and accused Russia of trying to “torpedo” the peace process, as well as the February 2015 ceasefire regime that was strengthened in July 2020.
Therefore, to counteract the concentration of Russian troops on the border and avoid possible military challenges, Kiev proposed on Friday to NATO Representative in Ukraine Alexander Vinnikov the organization of joint exercises between the Ukrainian army and allied troops.
Deterrent measures would include common air patrols in Ukrainian airspace or, as Canadian Ambassador Larisa Galadza suggested, increasing the level of combat readiness of troops in Alliance countries bordering Ukraine.
In a telephone conversation with Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmitry Kuleba, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed “concern” about the security situation in eastern Ukraine.
At the same time, Defense Minister Lloyd Austin went further and assured his Ukrainian counterpart, Andrei Taran, of the United States’ commitment to help Ukraine strengthen its military capabilities so that it can more effectively defend itself against Russian aggression, according to your department.
“In the event of an escalation of Russian aggression, the United States will not leave Ukraine alone and will not allow Russia’s aggressive aspirations against Ukraine to come true,” Austin said, according to Kiev.
In response, Peskov warned on Friday that a possible US troop deployment on Ukrainian territory would increase tensions near Russia’s borders, and said Moscow would be forced to take additional security measures.
